TGCFNM -Chapter 220 Isn’t It Chaotic?

Qingtong drove the carriage out through the back gate of the Qi residence and straight onto the wide main street. The bustling noise of people coming and going immediately poured into the carriage.

Chu Ling removed her face covering and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Young Master Fu, thank you.”

“You handled things quite quickly, Magistrate,” Fu Qingyu said seriously.

Chu Ling nodded. After all, with a ghost personally guiding the way, it was naturally fast. Only the switching and stuffing in of the account book had wasted a bit of time, but overall, it had gone fairly smoothly.

“I just didn’t see you bring anything out,” Fu Qingyu said curiously.

Chu Ling smiled and turned to look at him. “Of course I couldn’t bring anything out. If I had, wouldn’t that have been discovered?”

Fu Qingyu wanted to ask—if nothing was taken out, then what exactly was the evidence she mentioned? But seeing Chu Ling’s confident expression, he suppressed his doubts for the moment and asked no further.

After returning to the yamen, Chu Ling simply washed up, changed clothes, and sat in the courtyard waiting for Wan Sanjin and Su He.

Xiao Hua brought over hot tea and pastries, then sat down as well. “Magistrate, my brother said that because of Scholar Liu’s case, quite a few people have come asking to see you.”

Chu Ling gave a soft hum and smiled. “And what did your brother do?”

“My brother had them each write a statement according to Scholar Liu’s testimony, then press their thumbprints on it. As for those who couldn’t read or write, he had someone literate write it out on the spot. After confirming it was correct, they pressed their thumbprints too,” Xiao Hua replied.

Chu Ling nodded. “Zhang Dong handled it well.”

Resting her chin in her hands, Xiao Hua said, “Magistrate, my brother says they definitely won’t be able to repay the money. Even if they somehow manage to, it’ll be by selling off everything they own—only after emptying out their entire household would they barely scrape enough together.”

Chu Ling sighed and nodded. “Yes. Even if they manage to repay it, it would mean selling off everything or borrowing from relatives and friends. Otherwise, with interest rolling over and compounding like a snowball, no one could ever pay it back.”

“That’s why people die, right?” Xiao Hua asked softly.

Chu Ling gently patted her head and said helplessly, “Yes. Some people simply can’t bear it. They don’t know what to do, so the only way out they see is death.”

Some think that dying settles everything—that once they’re gone, it’s all over. But there’s no guarantee those lenders won’t pursue their family members for repayment. Once you borrow that money, it’s like having your bones shattered and your marrow drained clean before the matter is considered truly settled.

“If only they hadn’t borrowed it,” Xiao Hua said, her face full of worry.

Propping her chin on her hand, Chu Ling replied, “Some people urgently need money, and their family and friends can’t lend it to them. So they take the risk out of desperation… I’m planning to wait until Master Wan’s elder brother arrives and then ask if he has any ideas.”

If there were legitimate lending channels, perhaps fewer tragedies would occur—but the risk borne by money houses would also increase significantly.

“Someone that capable must have a way, right?” Xiao Hua said. “He’s able to earn so much money.”

Chu Ling replied, “True. If he can earn that much money, he must be able to think of a solution.”

The Ghost Scholar couldn’t help but laugh wryly. So she was placing her hopes on Wan Xing, wasn’t she?

“Magistrate!” Zhang Dong called out as he hurried over.

Seeing the thick stack in Zhang Dong’s hands, Chu Ling asked in surprise, “That many?”

“There are still some who couldn’t come today—they’ll only be able to come tomorrow,” Zhang Dong said, handing over all the testimonies of those in debt. “Magistrate, the smallest loan here was two taels. After just two months, it has grown to twelve taels.”

Chu Ling casually flipped through the testimonies and said in shock, “There must be at least dozens of statements here. With so many people borrowing, how much has the lender behind this actually made?”

“Magistrate, some people said that part of the money owed went to the lender, and part went to the guarantor. The guarantor takes thirty percent interest,” Zhang Dong said.

“Thirty percent! Why doesn’t he just rob them outright?” Chu Ling said angrily.

Zhang Dong continued, “Magistrate, there’s more. The guarantor is also responsible for collecting the debts. A beating is considered mild. A case like the Lin family’s—where they took matters into their own hands and it ended up here at the yamen—that’s the only one so far.”

Chu Ling frowned. “So far, the only known guarantor is Zhang Sanma from Wantong Money House. Could it be that Zhang Sanma has quite a number of people under him?”

Zhang Dong shook his head. “My lord, Zhang Sanma isn’t the only guarantor. There are many others. These people are deeply trusted by the lenders. Some appear to be restaurant managers on the surface, but they actually have quite a few hired thugs in their hands.”

Xiao Hua looked confused. “How can there be so many guarantors? Wouldn’t that make things chaotic?”

Chu Ling gave a slight nod. Yes, how could there be so many guarantors? Wouldn’t it be chaotic? Or were these guarantors secretly acquainted with one another? Or perhaps there was someone above them?

Zhang Dong shook his head again. He had no idea.

Folding her arms, Chu Ling said softly, “Everyone has some spare money on hand. But to engage in moneylending, you must have connections. How did they find this channel?”

Master Qi had a reputation, so perhaps he had been approached.

But Lin Zhujia, who ran a rice shop, must have sought out the opportunity himself.

What was the common point between the two? Who had the ability to recruit both of them as moneylenders under their command…?

Lowering her gaze to the stack of testimonies in her hand, Chu Ling began flipping through them one by one with meticulous care. She set aside those involving a particular guarantor.

After organizing everything, she massaged her neck and looked at the testimonies before her. Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her.

“This moneylending business spans too many industries. And as a guarantor, one would normally have to consider how to ensure steady profits without losses. Yet these guarantors don’t care who the money is lent to, or whether the borrower has the ability to repay. As long as someone wants to borrow, they are willing to guarantee it…” Chu Ling muttered, then slapped the stone table.

Those who dare to act as guarantors must first have wealth, and second, power—meaning they are not afraid of borrowers defaulting.

And the lenders trust this person absolutely, willing to hand over their money for lending without fear of being cheated—or believing that even if they were cheated, the guarantor could compensate them.

The only people who inspire such trust… are the great aristocratic families.

And among those families, the one that commands this level of trust must be exceedingly wealthy.

“So—”

“Which family is the wealthiest in Dongle City again?” Chu Ling asked.

“The Xuanyuan family,” Zhang Dong answered immediately.

Chu Ling let out a soft exclamation. “Right—the Xuanyuan family.”

Zhang Dong suddenly realized. “My lord, I’ll head out now to find Boss Bao and have him keep an eye on the Xuanyuan family?”

Chu Ling nodded. “Go. Be careful not to be discovered. Tell Boss Bao not to alert the enemy.”

“Yes, my lord.” Zhang Dong clasped his hands and departed.

Xiao Hua stood up as well. “My lord, I’ll go with my elder brother.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Chu Ling reminded them.

Xiao Hua responded and left together with Zhang Dong.

Only then did the Ghost Scholar turn to Chu Ling. “If it truly is the Xuanyuan family, what do you intend to do?”

Chu Ling said with a slight headache, “We can’t raid the Xuanyuan family outright. And even if we convict them, I worry they’ll sever the tail to save the body and simply deny everything. So the only way is to make the common people shudder at the very mention of lending. If the mere thought of borrowing money fills them with lingering fear, then over time, the Xuanyuan family won’t be able to sustain this line of business.”

Ghost Scholar chuckled softly. “I thought you wouldn’t let the Xuanyuan family off so easily.”

“Of course I won’t let them off easily. If I don’t make them suffer a heavy loss, how would I deserve to be Magistrate Chu of Dongle City?” Chu Ling said confidently.